And Then There Was One
by L.uca Kerberos
Summary: The last thing that Haruno Sakura needed in her life was an overbearing brother who showed up out of nowhere to take control of her love life. Sakura x Variety. AU Non-Massacre
1. Chapter 1

**Note from the Author:**

Hello, and thank you for reading my first fanfiction in several years! I previously have written several stories on here for a variety of series, including Naruto, and I did not think I would return anytime soon once college and a husband took over my life. And yet here I am! The call of fanfiction was too great, apparently. This will be the only author's note in the whole story (barring any important announcements and such), and I hope that you enjoy the story and please review and/or favorite the story. I can't promise that I will get a chapter out as frequently as I hope but I will most definitely try my hardest to provide you with a quality fanfiction that helps further flesh out the characters that you have come to love in the _Naruto_ series. Please enjoy this story, and if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review!

 _Luca Kerberos_

 _Title:_ And Then There Was One

 _Rating:_ M for violence, language, sex, etc. I will provide a warning up top for any graphic chapters

 _Pairings:_ Sakura x Itachi; Sakura x Kakashi; Sakura x Kiba; Sakura x ?

 _Setting:_ AU Non-Massacre; The whole story setting is pulled from different periods throughout the series and contains mostly non-canon content and characters with only mentions of canon events

 _Summary:_ The last thing that Haruno Sakura needed in her life was an overbearing brother who showed up out of nowhere to take control of her love life. Sakura x Variety

 _Disclaimer_ : _Naruto_ and its characters, settings, etc. belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I do not claim ownership to any of them, and only claim ownership to this original story and any original characters, settings, etc.

 **And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter One**

The evening breeze ruffled through the village of Konoha, carrying with it a shadow that silently sped towards the top of the Hokage Monument. The darkness of the new moon brought forth a blackness that allowed no visibility. At the top of the monument, perched upon the Third Hokage's head, a second shadow figure sat and waited, tapping a foot impatiently as it grumbled under its breath.

"I apologize for the wait. Have you prepared everything?" The first shadow figure had finally appeared and gave a stiff bow towards the figure sitting on the Third Hokage's head, his deep masculine voice permeating the darkness around them. The second figure gave a nod and then slowly stood and crossed its arms over its chest.

"About time! Yes, I have all of the information you'll need to get you started. The rest of it is up to you. Do you think you can manage this? It will be quite the shock for the village, let alone for _her_. Can I trust you to accomplish this mission?" There was evidence of worry underneath the irritation that plagued the second figure's voice, which was distinctly feminine.

"Yes. You have my word that I will succeed. Konoha's citizens will not even know what hit them. And it will not be traced back to you." The first figure gave a nod of thanks before taking a small scroll that the second figure held out to him.

"Good. Now get going!" The male figure left in a 'poof!' of smoke, leaving the female shadow figure standing alone, gazing upon the village beneath her, an aura of concern surrounding her.

"I hope we made the right decision…"

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Haruno Sakura sighed as she sucked absent-mindedly on a piece of hard candy that she had grabbed from the bowl at the nurse's station, her butt precariously perched on the edge of the counter. The Konoha Hospital was awfully quiet today, and it was starting to get to her. Sakura _hated_ being bored, and she had already completed her list of backlogged duties that had been neglected for several weeks now. As she finished the candy off, she stood up with a sigh and stretched her arms above her head, her spine popping slightly into place.

"Sakura-san, I believe Tsunade-sama would like to see you. She is in her office now." An office aid had appeared in the doorway, and Sakura was glad for the distraction. Perhaps Tsunade had a mission for her. As much as she loved the hospital, she was itching for some time away from it all. She hadn't hung out with her friends in weeks, and all the time spent in the hospital was severely hurting her love life, or lack thereof. Sakura hadn't had a steady boyfriend in quite some time, and had been barely satiated with quickies with random visiting ninja from other villages, usually while they were confined to the very hospital she worked in. She hadn't had a proper date in months.

Of course, Sakura could not blame her work at the hospital as the sole reason for her lack of love. It was her excuse. In reality, she hadn't really been trying to date anyone, and not for a lack of suitors. She knew that Inuzuka Kiba was interested in her, as her best friend Ino constantly reminded her, and her longtime friend Rock Lee was always professing his love for her. But Sakura was suffering from a lack of self-esteem and instead of using proper psychology to help her get over those issues, she instead pushed herself into her work and training and effectively ignored her need (and want) for a boyfriend.

As Sakura shuffled along towards her teacher's office, lost in her thoughts, she did not notice that there was a second chakra signature in the office of the Hokage, nor did she notice how eerily similar it was to her own…

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Uchiha Itachi was _not_ having a good day. Granted, you could not tell from the stoic look on his face, but he was most definitely not in a good mood. That bad mood probably had something to do with the tall, muscular man currently talking his ear off next to him, spouting some nonsense about matchmaking while the breeze rushing through the open-air noodle stand ruffled his dark red hair, his green eyes shining brightly. His chakra signature felt vaguely familiar, but Itachi could not place it.

"So, do you agree? I believe that you would make a most suitable match for her. She's really come a long way from the whiny genin you first met." The man's voice had a deep baritone to it, and exuded masculinity. Itachi had no idea why the man had started talking to him in the first place; all Itachi had been trying to do was enjoy his noodle bowl in peace as he relaxed before heading to Tsunade's office to turn in his latest mission report. Obviously, that was not going to happen.

"Who are you, again?" Itachi asked, his deep voice quiet and powerful. If you paid close attention, you would notice the slight wrinkle beginning to form as he ever so slowly began to furrow his eyebrows in annoyance. The red-headed man paused his speech and gave Itachi a big grin.

"My name is Haruno Daisuke. I am Haruno Sakura's older brother." And with a cheeky grin, Daisuke watched as the gears began to turn in Itachi's head and a slow look of understanding dawned on the Uchiha heir's face.

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Hatake Kakashi slowly shuffled through the streets of Konoha, his nose deep in the latest issue of _Icha Icha Extreme_. He had the day off, and he was thoroughly enjoying it by reading his favorite book and strolling through the fresh air. He easily ignored the dirty looks people were giving him for having said book, but that did not damper his good mood. The man that just stepped in front of him, however, would quickly dampen the copy-ninja's mood.

"May I help you?" Kakashi drawled lazily, his eye still glued to the book in front of him. He quickly did an assessment of the mystery man's chakra and was slightly perturbed by the fact that it seemed eerily familiar to a chakra that Kakashi was VERY familiar with…

"I am conducting a mission as to help my sister find the love of her life and, potentially, a husband. I feel that you meet the qualifications and can adequately provide for her. What do you say?" The man, who had dark red hair and green eyes, chirped quite happily, oblivious (or perhaps just ignoring) the look of "Are you serious?" slowly spreading over Kakashi's face, whose attention was now fully on the stranger, his book dangling from his hand.

"I'm sorry? Who are you, anyways? Do I know you?" Kakashi was not normally surprised or weirded out, but if he were being honest with himself, the situation that he was in now may very well be one of those rare situations.

"My name is Haruno Daisuke, and I am asking for you to begin courting my sister, Haruno Sakura."

Kakashi's book dropped from his hands.

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Inuzuka Kiba yawned widely, his fangs poking out from underneath his upper lips. His ever-faithful canine companion, Akamaru, let out a low bark. Kiba smirked and scratched the big dog's head, which got him a sigh of happiness from the beast beside him.

"I know you're bored, boy. Missions have been slow-coming these days, huh? Hopefully it will pick up soon. Until then, let's go stuff our faces!" Akamaru let out a happy howl as Kiba stood up and stretched before hopping aboard the big dog.

"Let's go, Aka-" Kiba's voice was cut short once he caught sight of the strange man currently standing in front of Akamaru. Kiba blinked before lowering his face into a scowl. Akamaru let out a small whine, unsure of who the man was, but not sensing any ill will from him.

"Hello! I like your dog. I'm sure my sister would, too. Would you care to date her?" Kiba's jaw dropped as he gazed stupidly at the man with the impish grin who was now scratching his dog under its chin. He had never heard anything so absurd in his life…well, apart from the occasional random nonsense that came out of Uzumaki Naruto's mouth.

"What the hell? Who the hell are you? And who's dating who?" While Kiba did not particularly like having some strange man stop him from getting to a nice meal (if you can call bowls full of meat a nice meal), he was slightly intrigued about the man's proposition. Hell, Kiba was not one to turn down a date, especially if it led to sex afterwards.

"My name is Haruno Daisuke, and I think you display great qualities as a mate for my dear Sakura-chan…" Kiba's thoughts stopped in their tracks as soon as the words left the strange man's mouth.

"Did you say…Sakura?"

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As soon as Sakura opened the door to her teacher's office, she would quickly wish that she had never stepped foot into the office that day.

"Ah, Sakura. Thank you for joining us. Meet your brother, Haruno Daisuke." Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Sakura was pretty sure the entire village of Konoha could hear her jaw hitting the floor.

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END CHAPTER


	2. Chapter 2

**And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter Two**

Everybody that crossed Sakura's path made sure to give the pink-haired kunoichi as wide a berth as possible. No one wanted to be on the wrong end of one of the fuming woman's fists. Citizens across Konoha could hear the loud thumps her angry footsteps made, a small crater forming underneath each step in the non-paved sections of the streets and walkways. All the ninja citizens shuddered as they felt the swirling, angry chakra that emanated from her body. Nobody knew what had set her off, except the seemingly oblivious man that walked beside her.

"Sakura-chan I don't see why you are so upset. Isn't it wonderful that I am back in the village?" The man threw Sakura a winning smile that would have made any girl swoon, but Sakura only returned it with a sharp glare, a scowl on her face.

"You don't understand _why_ I am upset!? Are you an idiot? Do you not recall the conversation we just had in Tsunade-shishou's office!?" Sakura howled towards the handsome red-head.

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" _Ah, Sakura. Thank you for joining us. I'm sure you remember him, but meet your brother, Haruno Daisuke." Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the suddenly tense atmosphere, the only sound in the room the ticking clock on the wall as the seconds passed._

 _Sakura was pretty sure the entire village of Konoha could hear her jaw hitting the floor. She stared at Tsunade, who lazily slumped back in her large chair, her chin coming to rest on a deceptively delicate fist, quirking a blonde eyebrow at Sakura. Sakura's gaze quickly moved to the red-haired man that was seated across from Tsunade. If the words "brother" had not previously come out of Tsunade's mouth, Sakura would have thought that the man was incredibly handsome. He was tall, muscular, had beautiful bright green eyes and a wave of lusciously red hair atop his head. His image of handsomeness quickly dropped from her mind as soon as he opened his mouth, though._

 _"Sakura-chan! It's been so long! I hope you have not forgotten me. I've been very busy exploring the world and doing a bit of information gathering for the village, but now that my travels have ended I decided to come back here and help out my little sister!" The man, Daisuke, Tsunade had said his name was, stated happily, his deep masculine voice not quite matching the hyperactive, almost Naruto-like energy that he gave off._

 _Sakura could only stare at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as she struggled to catch up with the situation happening in front of her. Tsunade motioned for her to sit down in the chair next to Daisuke, but Sakura was hesitant. She knew she had a brother, of course, and she vaguely recalled getting birthday cards and holiday gifts every now and then in the mail from him, but it had been so long since she had actually seen him in person….she only had a hazy, indistinct image of a smiling man in her mind, and she couldn't quite believe that that man was now sitting in front of her. Sakura dearly wished that her parents were still here to lend her some comfort and not living it up in some retirement community far off near the ocean._

 _"Sakura, Daisuke is a map-maker that travels throughout the world to gather data and information to complete not only land maps, but constellation maps, weather maps, demographics, animal and plant populations, and more. He has just finished a 15-year long journey to complete some of the best maps the world has to offer. You should be proud of him! Konoha is lucky to have such a well-known celebrity as one of their ninja." Tsunade gushed about Daisuke's accomplishments to Sakura, who had finally taken a seat next to the man, her confusion gone and now an odd shyness entering its place._

 _"Yes, I have been to many countries and many villages, some of which were previously undiscovered. I have seen so many things, Sakura-chan, that you would not believe! I've learned so much in my time away from home, but I am excited to be back now to share it with everyone. I hope that my absence has not caused you too much distress. I stopped by the village where our parents are now living. They are really enjoying it, and they hope you are doing well. Mother asked that I tell you to write her more, though." Daisuke said breathlessly, his love of his job obvious in his voice and from the excited emotion in his eyes, Sakura knew that she could not be angry with him for leaving her all this time, as she, too, had her own dreams and ambitions that she would sacrifice everything to accomplish._

 _Their parents had been upset at first, the day Daisuke told them he was leaving Konoha to travel the world. They had been only civilians, so they did not understand Daisuke's passion for what he did. He was 16 years old then, 11 years older than Sakura. He had just obtained the Jounin rank, one of the youngest to ever achieve it. There were high hopes amongst Konoha's elite that he would become ANBU and work the political sectors due to his intelligence and charisma, and they hoped that would help promote Konoha as a powerful village. But alas, Daisuke's passion lay in exploring and understanding the world, and he was going to accomplish his dreams no matter what his parents or little sister had to say about it._

 _Sakura was shaken out of her nostalgia when she noticed Tsunade suddenly clear her throat and begin to look anxiously at Daisuke, who was now fidgeting a bit himself. He had heard about how strong his little sister had gotten, and he was hoping that what he said next would not upset her enough to rearrange his beautiful face._

 _"Sakura-chan, I also discussed something else with our parents. You will be turning 21 soon, and they both feel that you haven't had a lot of luck in the love department. While they are not hoping you get married and have kids anytime soon, although mother would love that, they do want you to find someone that you can confide in and relate to on both an emotional and physical level. We feel you are involving yourself too much in your work and training and it is draining you emotionally. So, we came up with a plan to help you find someone." Daisuke paused, his words slowly filling Sakura's ears. She gave him a blank stare, her body rigid._

 _Sakura could not believe that her brother had come back, only to have her happiness shattered by the words that had just come out of his mouth. She was having trouble comprehending what he meant and was struggling to contain her confusion, which was quickly turning to anger._

 _"What do you mean, help me in the love department? I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. I have quite a few suitors, you know. When I want to begin dating someone I will. For now I am happy in my work and training." Sakura stated firmly, her scowl deepening as she cast a wary glare towards her brother. Tsunade chose this moment to interrupt, fearing that Sakura would begin damaging her office._

 _"Sakura, I think Daisuke has a good point. You've taken many Psychology courses to prepare for the medic-nin job, and you know as well as I do that throwing yourself into your work can be damaging to your mental health. You haven't seen your friends in ages, let alone involved yourself with a man. And no, those quickies that you engage in while at the hospital do not count." Tsunade sent a disapproving stare towards Sakura, who blushed slightly, embarrassed that she had failed to hide her physical dealings from her teacher._

 _"But Tsunade-shishou, the hospital is where I am happiest. I do not need a man to make me happy!" Sakura argued, her embarrassment gone and in its place a fierce anger. Tsunade shook her head, her voice even and controlled._

 _"That's not what we are saying, Sakura. We know you love the hospital. We know you don't need a man to make you happy. You are a strong, beautiful, independent young woman. But you understand that humans have physical and emotional needs that need to be met, and right now, your needs are not being met." Sakura frowned and opened her mouth to speak again, but Tsunade held her hand up, stopping her._

 _"I don't want to hear it. At least listen to what your brother has to say. I don't care if you find a husband or what, but at least get back out in the dating game. You're too young to be a cranky old grandma like myself. Now go, I have work to do. Daisuke will be staying with you until I've located a new apartment for him." Tsunade waved to the two ninja in front of her, one silently fuming and the other anxiously happy. Sakura stood stiffly and began to leave the room, as Daisuke quickly followed suit._

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As they approached Sakura's home, which her parents had left her once they moved, Daisuke could not help but be filled with nostalgia at seeing the house he had grown up in.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, do you remember when I used to carry you on my shoulders so that you could be taller than all the other little girls who bullied you? Wasn't that lovely?" Daisuke sighed wistfully, completely ignorant of the rapidly darkening mood of the woman next to him.

"No, I do not remember that. I was barely five when you left. I don't remember much about you, which makes this situation that much worse. I'm not even sure how I feel about having you home again, let alone what you said back at Tsunade-shishou's office." Sakura ranted as she unlocked her front door, barely controlling her strength enough to avoid knocking it off its hinges as she threw it open.

Daisuke did not have time to think as he began to step through the familiar front door before something large and fuzzy suddenly jumped up on him. Daisuke let out an "oof" and barely managed to hold himself up under the weight of the large German Shepherd that was currently staring him in the eye, a suspicious look on its face (as suspicious as a dog's face could be, anyways). The dog had to weigh at least 200lbs and almost as tall as he was (which was a mighty 6ft 7in) and was most definitely NOT a normal dog. It had to be a nin-dog. As he gently pushed the giant animal off of him, he heard a small mewl at his feet and looked down. A large orange cat stared back at him lazily, its tail twitching.

"The dog is Dante and the cat is Ramen. Kakashi-sensei gave me Dante as a gift for completing the Jounin exam and Naruto gave me the cat as a birthday gift a couple years ago. Dante is a trained nin-dog, but Ramen is just a cat. No special powers that I know of, unless you count laziness as a power. He can't even hunt mice correctly." Sakura chided the cat gently as she introduced her family to Daisuke, who awkwardly pet the giant dog on the head.

"I never took you for an animal person, Sakura-chan." Daisuke stated as he closed the front door behind him and glanced around the entry way to the home, noticing that not much had changed from when he was a young boy. There were even still the same dings and burn marks in the walls from where he had been practicing his home protection jutsus. Ah, the memories.

"Well, mom and dad never let me have any because dad was so allergic. After they moved I felt kind of lonely in this big house all by myself, and I think Kakashi-sensei and Naruto picked up on that, so now I have these guys." Sakura called over her shoulder as she removed her shoes and began to head towards the kitchen. She needed a drink.

Daisuke slowly followed her as his eyes continued to rove around the hallway and kitchen entryway until they finally settled upon two pictures sitting on the windowsill of the kitchen window that looked out upon his mother's garden. One was a picture that must have been taken when Sakura had just left the Academy. He recognized the masked silver-haired Jounin as Hatake Kakashi, and of course he recognized his little Sakura, but the other two boys were unfamiliar to him. One was a blonde with a huge grin on his face, and the other his complete opposite, a sullen black-haired boy that looked oddly familiar. In the second picture there was Kakashi, Sakura, and the blonde boy again, but Sakura and the blonde appeared to be in their mid-teens at that point. The black-haired boy from the first picture seems to have been replaced by another black-haired boy that was much taller and leaner, and appeared a little older than the other two ninja standing beside him. Next to Kakashi was another Jounin instructor that Daisuke did not recognize.

"Those are my teammates." Sakura said, having finally noticed Daisuke staring intently at the two pictures. "The first one was taken right after I graduated the Academy. Kakashi-sensei is in the back, and the blonde is Uzumaki Naruto and the grumpy looking guy is Uchiha Sasuke. The second picture was taken after we finished our Chuunin exams. Sasuke's replacement is Sai, and our second Jounin instructor is Yamato. Tea or beer?"

Daisuke nodded as he looked away from the pictures, giving Sakura a quiet "tea" as his answer to her question. He thought the black-haired boy looked familiar. He must be related to Uchiha Itachi in some way. As Daisuke turned to take a seat at the small dining nook situated in the corner of Sakura's kitchen, he mulled over what Sakura had said.

"You said Sai is Sasuke's replacement? What happened to the Uchiha?" Daisuke asked, curious as to why the team had changed. He needed to know details in case his decision to make the elder Uchiha one of Sakura's suitors backfired. He almost regretted the question, though, when Sakura's eyes became downcast and her mouth set in a hard line. She went about starting a tea kettle on the stove and grabbing a box of cookies from the pantry before she finally sat down across from Daisuke and gave him an answer.

"Sasuke was mine and Naruto's teammate straight out of the Academy. We went all the way through the first Chuunin exam together, but a missing-nin named Orochimaru tried to kidnap him during the exam. He didn't succeed, of course, but nonetheless the Uchiha clan decided that Kakashi-sensei was not doing enough to protect Sasuke and so they had him removed from our team. He was privately tutored and trained in the Uchiha compound, but I know that he hated it there. I used to have the biggest crush on Sasuke, but I grew out of it eventually. We are still good friends, the four of us, but Sasuke definitely seems to be an outcast at times. I think his clan absolutely ruined his social qualities. We're the only friends he has, and he hangs out with us when he can. We go on the occasional mission together, but the Uchiha clan seems to be grooming him more for political skills rather than ninja skills." At this thought Sakura let out a very un-ladylike snort and took a large bite out of her cookie, and contemplative look on her face as she chewed.

"At first Naruto and I were really angry that he left us. We were naïve and thought he could say "no" to his clan. But as we grew and learned more about the world we realized that Sasuke really had no choice in the matter and that we were lucky to even see him still. I think the only reason he was able to continue his ninja training was because of his older brother, Itachi's, influence. Otherwise I think his parents would have put an immediate stop to his training and then shuffled him off to the library to learn about inter-village trade, wartime negotiations, the economy, yadda yadda yadda. All the stuff Sasuke _hates_. So I am at least grateful that we can still remain friends, I guess. I just wish he were there to grow with us, you know?" At this Sakura blushed a little and ducked her head down, glad for the interruption of the whistling of the tea kettle signifying that it was done.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that. Anyways, how long will it be until Tsunade-shishou gets you your own place? Like I said, I'm still not really all that comfortable having you in the house with me." Sakura said as she grabbed a mug, filling it with hot jasmine tea before setting it down in front of Daisuke, who muttered a quiet "thank you". She opened her fridge pulled out a bottle of some really expensive Sakè and grabbed a cup from next to the fridge before setting down across from Daisuke again with a thump.

"So, now that I've calmed down a bit, please tell me more about your plan of courtship for me, since I obviously need so much help in that area." Sakura said sarcastically as she poured herself a cup of Sakè. She didn't particularly like her Sakè hot, and she felt that with the hot heat of July bearing down on them that the cold Sake would be nice and refreshing. She slowly begin sipping her favorite drink, waiting for Daisuke's answer.

"Well, I've already approached several men that I think would make wonderful suitors for you, all based on their intelligence, skill, strength, and, of course, good looks. The ones I have chosen, so far at least, are Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Itachi, and Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura would have spit her Sakè out had it not been so expensive.

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	3. Chapter 3

**And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter Three**

Hatake Kakashi was generally a calm man. He was normally cool as a cucumber, with little to no emotion showing on his face (or what you could see of his face). Few things got beneath his bored exterior, and he was proud to say that he had one of the best poker faces around. But today was different. Today Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copy Ninja of Konoha Village, effectively lost his shit.

"That man _must_ have been lying. Insane. Sakura never mentioned she had a brother. He has to be lying." Kakashi muttered to himself as he meandered along Konoha's streets, the sunlight dimming as night began to take its place. He was heading to his favorite bar to meet with who he guess he could call his best friend, Shiranui Genma, and who he guess he could call his archrival, Maito Gai. The citizens making their way home through the streets gave him odd looks as he shuffled past, completely lost in thought. It was not often you saw this mighty shinobi with his guard down.

Sure, he would admit to himself that he had noticed how much Sakura had grown over the years….how her small, girlish figure had given way to a beautiful, toned body of a top kunoichi, how she had developed those luscious, womanly curves…

Kakashi blinked and stopped in his tracks, shaking his head roughly. He had to stop thinking that way. Sakura was, after all, a former student. And while there were no laws in Konoha against relationships between team members, at least if they were above legal age (which Sakura was, Kakashi thought briefly), it still felt morally wrong to him to be thinking about his former student that way. Or at least, that's what he wanted to think. If Kakashi were being honest with himself, he would admit that, deep down, he definitely had an attraction to the pink-haired kunoichi. But he chucked those feelings up towards being a healthy adult male and blamed it all on his testosterone, which he felt he could control (for the most part), and not at all on the emotional level that he truly knew was the cause of his feelings for Sakura.

He sighed as he continued walking, the sun now down behind the mountains and the stars and full moon beginning to shine upon the world, which was quickly becoming quiet. He soon spotted his bar, and he quickly entered, hoping his friend and archrival would not notice his odd mood. He definitely needed a drink.

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Inuzuka Kiba was not one to turn down a challenge, and he most definitely was not one to turn down an opportunity to get his hands on something that he has wanted for a long time. That something being the current Hokage's number one pupil, Haruno Sakura. Sure, Kiba had asked her out several times, but he was always given a polite "no, thank you" or he was invited to a group gathering instead. As much as he wanted to court Sakura in a more public manner, he was also terrified of her strength and he knew that if he pushed too many buttons he may no longer be on this Earth.

But when the strange red-haired man, the one that called himself Sakura's brother, had appeared before Kiba and Akamaru this morning, Kiba thought it was a sign that he should not give up hope yet. The man's proposition had been very intriguing indeed, and Kiba was sure that with Daisuke's help he could finally get Sakura to go on a date with him to prove that he was truly interested in her and not just in sex, which seems to be his reputation nowadays.

Of course, sex with Sakura would be wonderful too, Kiba thought with a smirk, a dazed look coming over his face as he gazed into the stars through the leaves of the tree was currently sitting under, Akamaru asleep at his side. Kiba was definitely no virgin, and from some of the tidbits of gossip he heard from the nurses in the hospital whenever he stopped by, Sakura was no virgin either. In fact, it sounded like Sakura was _very_ much into sexual practices and that excited Kiba.

Kiba felt his body warming at the thoughts of Sakura and gave a frustrated groan as he stood, his pants now uncomfortably tight. Akamaru lifted his head and cocked it at Kiba, his eyes quizzical. Kiba smiled at the big dog and gave him a pat on the head.

"Let's head home, bud. I think it's time for a shower…" And with those words, Kiba and Akamaru trotted home, where Kiba would indulge in his most devious thoughts of one Haruno Sakura.

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Uchiha Itachi was one of Konoha's top ANBU captains. He was the best tactician they had, and he knew it. Not even the Nara boy could reach his level. He was always sent on the missions that not only required stealth and patience, but the ones that required diplomacy and inter-village communication. He loved being a shinobi, but it was the political missions that were his least favorite. He hated that his family heritage and upbringing played such a part in his ANBU work, but then again, he probably would not trust many other ninja to do the jobs he did to keep the village safe.

He had just recently returned from a particularly stressful mission in which he was to gain intelligence on the incredibly dull lifestyle of a new political leader in one of the non-hidden villages, where no shinobi lived and oblivious citizens roamed the streets, spending their money on frivolous things with not a care in the world. Tsunade had asked him to obtain any information on how this new leader was leaning, and whether he would be an ally or a foe of Konoha. While she did not say it outright, Itachi knew she was concerned about the flow of money and exports from the village, as this particular village had been one of Konoha's top economic allies in the past and Tsunade wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

Needless to say, his mission debriefing gave Tsunade the results she was looking for and once Itachi assured her that the new leader would indeed continue to send funds Konoha's way, he left to one of his favorite food stands to get some lunch. He was not anticipating that the strange man would be there, and he still hadn't really given a lot of thought to what the man had said before Itachi had finally left him at the booth, tired of the man's blabbering.

He had heard the man, of course. He knew who Haruno Sakura was. He often saw her in the hospital or in with the Hokage. Itachi, being the polite young man he was (or at least the man his mother hoped he was), always gave a curt nod of greeting to Sakura whenever he saw her, but the two never really chatted apart from quick messages usually to or from the Hokage. They had never even been on a mission together before, even though Itachi knew how much talent she had as a medic. But for the man to suggest something as insane as he did…Itachi did not really know what to think about that.

Even though Itachi was one of the top ANBU captains and held up an exterior of cold emotionless most of the time, he was still a young male with needs and emotions, the same as anyone else. Being from an affluent family, he had gone on plenty of dates and had slept with plenty of willing noblewomen who thought that they could hold his attention for longer than a night and would one day marry him, bare him an heir, and attain the influence that the Uchiha clan had to offer the world. But while he had physical needs, Itachi normally did not tune in to his emotional needs. He never formed any attachments to any woman, and he did not care whether he had an heir or not. He figured that his little brother, Sasuke, could have the honor of being groomed by the old coots of the Uchiha clan and be married off to some unknown woman from an influential family to bear tons of little Uchiha's to run around the village and continue their bloodline.

However, he would be lying if he did not admit that Haruno Sakura was, at the very least, attractive. Itachi also liked that she had a brain, and was more focused on her work rather than the gossip that most employees of the hospital seemed to thrive on. But he had never considered courting her officially. Part of him felt that it would be a breach of mutual trust the two had in each other, and that it would ruin their professional relationship. But another part of him longed to find out just how strong she was, and the rumors that circulated the hospital about her…naughty exploits definitely had him thinking.

As Itachi finished cleaning the last of his weapons, he thought that maybe the annoying red-haired man had brought up a good proposition after all, and that maybe it was about time for him to find something more than a one-night stand. He decided to sleep on it and he would make his decision about whether or not to participate in the challenge in the morning.

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END OF CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4

**And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter Four**

Sakura stared at her brother, her mouth open in shock. Had he really just named who she thought he had named? Her former teacher, her friend, and her former teammate's older brother? Sakura was, for once in her life, at a loss for words. She continued to stare at Daisuke, who looked quite amused at her reaction.

"Why would you choose those three?" Sakura finally managed to get out before quickly downing the last of her drink. She could already feel the buzz of the alcohol, and she was too distracted to think about staving it off with her medical ninjutsu skills. Plus at this point she really welcomed the drowsy nonchalant attitude the alcohol gave her.

"I evaluated potential suitors based on my personal criteria. I only chose those suitors who would match you well in strength, intelligence, and genetics. I also chose only males who are not currently involved in a relationship with another person, and I eliminated any potential suitors who have ever caused you injury, be it physical or emotional." At the last sentence Daisuke gave Sakura a hard look, and she knew he was talking about Sasuke.

"If that is your criteria, why would you choose Kiba? He's definitely not the smartest of the bunch. And I don't think Itachi even knows I exist, let alone the fact that he is an Uchiha and they are never allowed to marry outside their clan. The only viable one in your group is Kakashi, but he is several years older than I am and also my former sensei. So why those three? And who did you exclude?" Sakura was very thankful for the numbness that the alcohol gave her. It allowed her to process all of this information without feeling the need to pummel Daisuke into the ground.

"While I have never met these people, I based my decisions solely off of the initial data that I gathered from my sources. I eliminated Uzumaki Naruto, as there is talk he is involved with Hyuuga Hinata. Nara Shikamaru is apparently involved with a woman from Sand, and Akimichi Chouji is engaged to a woman from Cloud. Rock Lee does not match well to you genetics-wise, plus you seem quite annoyed with him, and Aburame Shino deals with bugs, which I know you hate. Sai is engaged to Yamanaka Ino. Hyuuga Neji is married to TenTen, and Shiranui Genma is a playboy. Your former sensei Yamato was also a contender, but I felt he was too…gentle for your wrath." Daisuke winced and ever-so-slightly edged away from Sakura when he saw her eye twitch. He cleared his throat and continued, aware of the danger he was putting himself in.

"Your sources? How long have you been in Konoha? Have you been watching all of us?" The alcohol was fueling Sakura's anger and she was upset that her brother would rather "gather data" on her suitors first than visit the sister he hadn't seen in so long. Daisuke quickly held up his hands to placate Sakura, shaking his head no.

"I only arrived in Konoha last night. I already told you my job involves lots of information gathering. I have sources all over the world, including Konoha and its village alliances. Your village is quite well-known, you know. Particularly that Uzumaki kid and the Uchiha clan. All of my initial information came from the sources and helped me weed out any suitors who had no chance with you, for whatever reason. While I have known who Kakashi and the elder Uchiha were from their fame, today was the first time I met the Inuzuka. All three obviously meet my expectations on genetics, at least for the moment. After meeting them in person I think we have a lot of work to do…" Daisuke began mulling over his decisions as he absentmindedly sipped his rapidly cooling tea.

"What work? I haven't agreed to any of this. And what about their thoughts? You can't force them to date me. Hell, I don't even think Itachi-san knows I exist and no way will Kakashi let you force him to do anything. Kiba may be interested but he's a pervert and I doubt a relationship is on his mind, only one night stands." Sakura huffed as she glared at her older brother, her emerald eyes burning a hole through his head.

Daisuke was silent for a moment as he finished his tea. He looked up at Sakura, his mood completely different. There was now a cool, confident air about the man. His previous childlike demeanor was nowhere to be found and all that stared back at Sakura from his eyes was a fierce intensity that gave her shivers. She briefly wondered if she should start to worry about this familiar but incredibly strange man that sat before her.

"Sakura, please understand that I am not forcing you to do anything. But I am your brother and I care deeply about you. It is obvious even from looking at you that you are stressed beyond words and it is taking a toll on you physically and emotionally. I had heard rumors that you were the Hokage's number one apprentice and one of the most sought after medic nins in the country. But I have also heard rumors as of late that you are losing your touch. People are saying that you have become emotionless and abrasive in your techniques. Even looking at you now I can tell that you are exhausted. Even looking at your habits around the house." Daisuke gestured towards the large amount of empty alcohol bottles and half-drunk mugs of coffee around the kitchen. Sakura flushed in embarrassment, her eyes becoming downcast as she guiltily held her empty Sakè cup.

"When was the last time you had a good meal, Sakura? A good sleep? Tsunade-sama told me that you work almost sixty hours a week at the hospital and often cover the graveyard shift. She says that Ino and Naruto frequently bother her with giving you time off. But she said she has offered it to you but that you never accept it. Why, Sakura? Your friends are desperate to see you. If you don't act soon, you may lose them." Daisuke gently took his sister's hand in his. He was amazed at how quickly her mood had gone from anger to guilt and finally to an overwhelming sadness. He squeezed her small hand in his as he noticed tears prick at her eyes.

"I don't know, Daisuke. I don't know why I can't take time off. I don't know what I fear by dating or even by going out with friends. I want to, I really do, but I just feel that my work is more important. So many people need my help and sometimes…most of the time, I'm the only one that can help. I think that's why Tsunade-shishou hasn't sent me on any missions, either. She knows the stress and exhaustion are taking their toll and I think now she would only give me some low class Genin mission." Sakura gave a dry laugh at her unhappy predicament, the reality of what her brother was telling her nearly crushing her under its weight. The alcohol, the sleepless nights where she survived only on coffee, the emotionless sex she had with strangers at the hospital…all of it was being brought before her now and she was being forced to face it.

Daisuke sighed and scooted around the breakfast nook to Sakura's side. He gently put his arm around her shoulders and felt her stiffen before slowly leaning into his side, the tears now flowing from her beautiful green eyes.

"Sakura, the most important thing to you should be your own health and happiness. I know your work is important and a lot of people rely on you and look up to you, but if you can't function at the level you know you can, you are not helping anyone, especially yourself. It's not about missions or the hospital or even what other people think of you. It's about taking time in life to enjoy it. Enjoy the world and the people around you. You are too young to be sucked into the corporate world." Daisuke tried his best to sooth Sakura. She gave a small sniffle and looked up at him. She blushed slightly at the intense concern his eyes held. It had been so long since someone had shown her such regard, especially when she felt so weak. Sakura began to realize that maybe, just maybe, she was starting to enjoy having her brother back.

The two sat in silence for a few moments as Sakura collected herself. Daisuke continued to soothingly rub her back and began to doze off slightly, his eyelids gradually closing. Suddenly Sakura shifted beside him and thumped her fist on the table, snapping Daisuke out of his daze.

"Alright, Daisuke. I am going to ask Tsunade-shishou for some time off tomorrow. At least a few weeks. Maybe I will even go on a small vacation to one of the hot springs. I'll invite Ino, Hinata, and maybe even TenTen. We'll have a girl's weekend. And then I'll ask Tsunade to switch me from hospital duty to active duty and availability for missions." Sakura nodded her head in affirmation as she spoke, the tears now dry on her cheeks. Daisuke clapped his hands together, his childlike exuberance back.

"Excellent! So that means you'll go along with my matchmaking plan, then?" He chirped happily.

"Not a chance."

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END OF CHAPTER


	5. Chapter 5

**And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter Five**

Inuzuka Kiba whistled a tune to himself as he walked amongst the dozens of stalls of Konoha's biggest shopping market. Akamaru padded along behind him, tongue lolling out of his mouth happily. The two had just completed a training session with Shino and Hinata, and Kiba was starving. One of his favorite food stands was just down the way and Kiba could already smell the tantalizing food wafting towards his direction, drool beginning to form at his lips. He was mentally making his menu choices before he was abruptly stopped by someone stepping into his path.

Kiba blinked and squinted through the sun's bright rays to see the same strange red-headed man standing in front of him. Sakura's brother, he remembered. Kiba scowled and raised an eyebrow at the tall, deceptively handsome man.

"What do you want? I'm sure you've talked to Sakura and I'm sure she probably punched you into oblivion about your so-called "plan"." Kiba drawled as he shifted his weight and crossed his arms across his chest. Daisuke merely grinned at him and pointed over Kiba's shoulder. Kiba glanced back just in time to see a certain pink-haired Kunoichi approach.

"Daisuke, which vegetables were you wanting? They were out of the Daikon rad-" Sakura stopped mid-sentence and stared at Kiba in surprise.

"Kiba! What are you doing here?" Sakura's look of surprise quickly morphed into one of suspicion as she glanced between Kiba and Daisuke, a small frown slowly forming on her lips. She carried a large shopping bag full of fresh fruits and vegetables. _Daisuke must've dragged her here under the guise of shopping…_ Kiba thought, correctly guessing the elder Haruno's plan. But how did he know Kiba would be here?

"I was on my way to eat lunch. Just finished a training session. Did this doofus drag you out here?" Kiba answered gruffly before turning to glare at Daisuke. Initially, Kiba had been very interested in Daisuke's matchmaking plan. He had been interested in Sakura for a long time. But when he discovered that Daisuke hadn't even asked her permission, Kiba quickly grew angry at the audacity of her brother. He respected Sakura too much and knew she would not allow someone else to make decisions for her. If he were to date her, he would make sure she chose to date him rather than following someone else's lead. Sure, he was a horndog but that did not mean he did not respect women. His sister Hana would kill him if he ever disrespected a woman.

"Yes. This doofus did drag me out here. We were supposed to be buying groceries for dinner tonight. I apologize for my idiot brother." Sakura responded, a deadpan look on her face as she sent a withering glance towards her brother. She, too, had realized his plan. _How on earth does he gather information on people's locations so quickly?_ She wondered as she began to open her mouth to say goodbye to Kiba and get on with her shopping. She had things to do and people to see and she really needed to get those vegetables…

"Say, Kiba, would you mind terribly if Sakura and I joined you for lunch? We've been shopping all morning and I'm starving. And judging by the sound of her stomach she could use something to eat, too." Daisuke interrupted, his eyes crinkling as a bright smile overtook his face. Sakura's mouth dropped open as she looked towards Kiba, once again opening her mouth to speak. This time, however, it was her grumbling stomach that interrupted her and she blushed in embarrassment as she clutched at it. Maybe she was a bit a hungry…

Kiba just shrugged and began walking towards the food stand which was now within his sight.

"Sure, feel free. It's not a fancy place but the food is good and inexpensive. You'll have to stay outside, Akamaru. I'll bring you a doggy bag." Kiba ruffled the big dog's head as Akamaru let out a soft "woof" before turning and curling up right outside the small stand. Kiba lifted the cloth that protected the entrance and motioned for Sakura to enter first. Sakura blushed again before taking a deep breath and walking in, giving Kiba a small "thank you" as she passed. Kiba quickly followed her, dropping the cloth in Daisuke's face.

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"So, Sakura, what have you been up to?" Kiba slurped his noodles. The three shinobi had placed their orders and then sat side-by-side along the stand, with Sakura next to Kiba and Daisuke just to her right.

Sakura finished her bite of food before answering the Inuzuka, politely wiping her mouth with her napkin before she did so.

"Not much, to be honest. I've been taking up extra shifts at the hospital lately. Lots of work but the money has been worth it. I've just been given temporary leave, though, for some much needed vacation time. I'm thinking about going to that new hot springs resort with the girls." She answered, her bright green eyes trained on Kiba's soft brown ones. Kiba was quickly reminded of just how gorgeous Sakura was. She wasn't much to look at when they were kids, but damn did she blossom into something else. She had gotten taller and had lost all of her baby fat, her now lean, muscular form sporting very feminine curves. She didn't have much of a butt, but Kiba was more of a boobs guy anyways. And god, did she have an amazing pair of those. Kiba's mind began to wander as he briefly glanced down at the large, perky breasts that were barely concealed under the small tube top that Sakura wore. Thankfully Sakura was too busy ordering dessert to notice his now perverted attention.

Kiba cleared his throat softly and shook his head to bring his thoughts back to the present. He shifted his weight to better conceal his now hardened member. Sakura gave him a quizzical look before glancing back excitedly at the small piece of strawberry shortcake that was just placed before her. Daisuke gave him a smirk and Kiba sent him a glare.

"Kiba, would you be interested in stopping by for dinner this evening? Ino and Sai are already coming and we have more than enough food for everyone." Daisuke spoke, surprising Sakura and Kiba. Sakura gave her brother a small scowl, knowing what he was up to, but felt it rude to retract the invitation. Instead she concentrated on inhaling the shortcake and waited curiously for Kiba's reply. Kiba blinked and thought for a moment before giving his answer.

"Sure. I haven't had a good home cooked meal in a while. Although I hope your cooking is better than Sakura's." Kiba gave the pink-haired woman a wink and she playfully swatted his arm with a friendly glare. Sakura knew full well that her cooking skills, or lack thereof, were legendary amongst the villagers. Who has time to learn how to cook when you have to study for medical exams?

"Alright. Dinner is at 8 sharp. I have a training session with Kakashi-sensei but we should be finished by then. Daisuke is cooking, of course, since this was his idea." Sakura said sweetly, thrusting the large bag of groceries into her fumbling brother's arms. She paid for her meal and gave Kiba and Daisuke a quick goodbye before running off towards her team's old training grounds.

"Huh. I wonder when she talked to Kakashi? Oh well. So, Kiba, are you changing your mind about courting my sister?" Daisuke turned to the younger man, a curious look on his face. Kiba snorted and gave Daisuke a glare.

"If I choose to date Sakura, I want it to be because she genuinely wants to go out with me. I don't agree with your plan of matchmaking. Sakura should be able to make her own decisions." Kiba paused and glanced up towards the ceiling, a smirk on his face. "However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and win her over."

Daisuke smiled gleefully.

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Sakura's thoughts wandered as she made her way toward the training grounds. This was the first time she had really interacted with Kiba since the Jounin exams two years ago. He had sure changed. He was taller than his older sister now, and much more muscular. He had a gruffness about him that was kind of sexy, and he still hadn't tamed his wild mane of hair. Sakura blushed and tried to wave her thoughts away. _That idiot Daisuke is starting to get to me…_ Sakura would not admit it publicly but she was a pervert. She loved sexy men and she loved having sex with said sexy men. She wasn't ashamed about it but she kept it on the down-low. As a medical shinobi, she had gone through enough classes and examinations to fully understand the human body and how it worked. She understood the basic human need of sex and reproduction. At some point she had lost all shame in relation to her body and others, and she did not feel that she should be seen as anything other than a beautiful young woman who was just starting to enter her prime. She had physical needs and she knew how to satiate those needs, usually with some hot stranger from another village.

While she was very prim and proper in the public eye, she had one fault and that was her love of flirtation. Sakura was a _major_ flirt whether she wanted to admit it or not. She enjoyed teasing men, but she had never led anyone on and she was proud of that fact. Unlike Ino, who was (in)famously known as the village slut before she settled down with Sai, Sakura only teased men she was fully intent on getting to know better in the physical sense. Once Sakura became more comfortable with her body and her understanding of flirting and sex, she became much more open about how she interacted with men she was interested in, as well as what she wore on a daily basis. She _hated_ wearing clothes. She felt they impeded her movement and it was always so damn hot in Konoha that she felt she was constantly overheating. In fact, she frequently slept naked. So now she wore a simple black tube top with an open, flowing red kimono covered in white flowers and tight black half-leggings that went down to her knees. Her hair, now down to her butt, was usually loose and flowing unless she was working or training. She wore regulation shinobi sandals that covered up to her ankles, and her family's crest was displayed on the back of her kimono where it blended beautifully with the small white flowers.

Despite not having taken many missions in the last few months, she was still physically fit. Her toned arms and legs held more power than anyone realized, and her feminine stature frequently led to her enemies underestimating her, resulting in their rather gruesome deaths. Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice after all.

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts when she realized that she had arrived at the training grounds. It was shortly after noon and the sun was high and hot in the sky above her. She knew Kakashi would probably be another hour or two before he showed, so she stretched and located a cool shady spot beneath a tree to take a brief catnap.

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 _Sakura groaned as her skin thrummed with desire beneath his fingers. They had been training together when he had suddenly pushed her up against a tree and pressed his mouth to hers, hungry and wanting. And Sakura had let him. She did not fight, not in the way she would have expected, but instead she fought for dominance with her tongue against his. She tugged her fingers through his wild brown strands as his mouth worked its way down her neck to her collarbone. His hands had pulled her top down to expose her breasts, her nipples hardening into stiff peaks in the suddenly chilly air._

 _She let out a gasp as his mouth found one of her nipples and began sucking, her head smacking back into the trunk of the tree. His other hand was working its way into her leggings which were already moist with her desire. She bucked her hips when his fingers found her favorite spot and she felt him smile into her breast._

" _Kiba…" She moaned breathlessly…_

Sakura woke with a start, a large blush on her cheeks. _The hell was that!?_ She thought wildly as she worked to calm her racing heartbeat. Her stupid brother's scheme was really getting to her…

"Urgh, as much as I liked that and want to finish it I really need to get my mind ready for training." She mumbled to herself as she stood up and brushed the grass from her butt. She could feel that she was slightly wet and she was aching to go finish her dream in private but she sensed the Copy Nin's Chakra and knew that Kakashi would be arriving momentarily. God, she hoped he wouldn't be able to smell her lust. _Curse that man and his damn dog senses! He spends too much time with his nin-dogs._ She seethed in her head.

"Yo, Sakura-chan. Sorry I am late. It was "Take Your Parents to School Day" at the Academy and Iruka asked me to step in as the father to a poor orphan boy who had no one…" Kakashi drawled, his nose deep in his book. He thought it was one of his more creative excuses, to be honest. Sakura just gave him a hard look before breaking into a smile.

"I swear, your excuses are never boring. It's been a while, Kakashi-sensei. How've you been?" She replied, the small smile still on her face. She no longer judged him for reading the _Icha Icha_ series. In fact, it was he who got her into the series and bought her the first set of books for her birthday one year. She had not seen him in almost as long a time as she had last seen Kiba. He did not look any different, though. She still did not know what his face looked like beneath that mask, as even when he was in the hospital the only one he allowed to see his face was Tsunade.

"Good, Sakura. I've heard lots of good things about you in the hospital. Tsunade-sama only has the highest remarks about you. I am proud of my former student." Kakashi said as he tucked his book into his vest. He looked up at her and his breath caught in his throat. He had not seen her in a while, save for brief glances while in the hospital. But she was always in that stuffy nurse's uniform that did not show _nearly_ enough skin in Kakashi's opinion. Today she wore less. _Much_ less. He had heard about how beautiful she had become from his fellow shinobi in the bars (particularly a certain playboy that Kakashi had threatened to pummel into the ground if he continued to talk about Sakura in that manner) but he still saw in his mind the young Chuunin girl that had been obsessed with Sasuke.

He discreetly watched her as she began stretching in preparation for their sparring session. _God, those legs…_ Kakashi swallowed hard as Sakura went into a full side lunge, the muscles in her long legs flexing beneath her skintight leggings. He knew he was being a dirty old man, but so what? Nobody could hear his thoughts. It wasn't like he was going to act on them, anyways…

Kakashi suddenly stiffened as the wind changed direction and brought a very musky, very familiar feminine scent towards his nose. Sometimes he really hated his dog-like senses. Other times, like right now, he _loved_ them. His senses were not as good as those of the Inuzuka clan, but spending so much time connected to his nin-dogs has enhanced them beyond normal human senses. The scent of Sakura's recent wet dream permeated his senses and his mind burned with images of how she may have gotten into that luscious state. He did not smell another male on her, nor the scent of actual sex, so he could only assume that she was either dreaming or masturbating (his groin hoped for the latter) right before he showed up. He felt several emotions at once, then; curiosity (and even a little jealousy) on who she may have been thinking about, desire for the beautiful female standing before him, and anger and guilt for thinking about his former student in this way.

Kakashi did not particularly care what others thought about him (judging by the fact that he still read the most perverted books in the world in public), and age never mattered to him, either. When Sakura's brother had approached him the other day about possibly dating the younger woman, Kakashi did not decline because of his age but rather his status as her former sensei. While teacher/student relationships were not really frowned upon in the shinobi world, Kakashi still felt that he should uphold a sense of respect for Sakura and that he may be taking advantage of her if he chose to act on his feelings. He had heard rumors of how promiscuous Sakura could be but he turned a deaf ear towards those rumors and felt that they were only half-truths. _Of course_ , he had to remind himself, _you WERE the one who bought her all those Icha Icha books…maybe she learned some interesting things from them…_

"-shi-sensei? Kakashi are you alright?" Kakashi was broken out of his thoughts by Sakura's soft voice, a hint of concern in it. She was now standing directly in front of him and had placed a hand on his arm. He could feel that she was beginning to scan him for any injury and he quickly shut down his desire so that she would not feel _that_ part of his current state of being. He cleared his throat and patted her hand gently as he stepped back from her. Her scent was almost overwhelming…

"I'm fine, Sakura. Let's start our sparring session, shall we? It's been a while and I'd like to see how far you have come under Tsunade-sama's tutelage. Shall we play the old "get the bells" game? Use whatever techniques you've learned to get them from me." Kakashi dangled said bells from his hands as he attached them to the kunai pouch at his waist. He had cleared his thoughts and was now focused on nothing but keeping the bells away from this gorgeous, beautiful, curvy, sexy woman in front of him…Kakashi pinched himself and turned his attention back to Sakura, who was nodding in agreement, a smirk on her face. She had tied her long hair up into a high ponytail and had pulled on her signature black gloves to protect her hands from the Chakra she was about to release.

"Sounds good to me, Kakashi-sensei. You'd better not underestimate me, though. Tsunade-shishou has taught me a lot." _Including ways to win against a man that you would never expect, Kakashi…_

Sakura suddenly lunged towards Kakashi, her fist pulled back, a wild grin on her face. Kakashi paled a little bit at the sudden increase in Chakra he felt. He could still smell her, too, and it was agonizing. Kakashi gave a small groan before dodging her attack, the bells jingling with the movement.

 _This is going to be a long day…_

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END OF CHAPTER


	6. Chapter 6

**And Then There Was One**

 **Chapter Six**

Sakura breathed heavily as she sat behind a large tree, trying to avoid the copy-nin as she stopped to catch her breath. She gave a small smile as she mentally checked herself over for injuries. Her Chakra reserves were getting a little low and she had some bruises, but other than that she was doing well. She had not sparred with Kakashi like this in several years, and it was exhilarating. The adrenaline was pumping through her and she put forth all of her frustration (sexual and otherwise) into her attacks. She had struck Kakashi several times, and she knew he was feeling them by the way his chest heaved with his deep breathing.

"Sakura-chan, I'm just getting started. You'd better not be giving up yet." Kakashi chided as he swung the bells around his fingers. He winced as he took another deep breath to try and calm his panting, knowing that Sakura could hear him. He had to admit, he was deeply impressed with how strong Sakura had become. To be honest, he was downright terrified with how strong she had become. With that strength and her temper…Kakashi shivered at the thought. He was feeling the fight, and he could only hope that he held out long enough for her to fall into one of the traps he had set up around the training grounds.

And, soon enough, his patience had paid off. He saw Sakura move out of the corner of his eye and then heard a thunk and a loud curse as the rope pulled her up by the ankle into the tree above her, leaving her hanging upside down. Kakashi smiled through his mask and slowly ambled over to the struggling Sakura.

"What the hell kind of cheap trick is this, Kakashi!? What is this thing made of, anyways?" Sakura growled as she attempted to swipe through the rope with a kunai. It was made of some shimmering silvery material and the kunai would only clink off of it every time she attempted to cut it. She was getting frustrated and tired, and all of the blood was going to her head. Her chakra reserves were too low to attempt to force the power down into her legs to try and kick away from the rope.

"It's a special rope made out of my own chakra and then reinforced with an armor jutsu. A kunai won't be able to cut through it." Kakashi chuckled as he gazed at his former student, her chest at his eye level. Kakashi had been able to ignore her scent throughout the match, and he was only too happy to finally be able to relax enough to get in a few sly glances of Sakura's heaving chest. The position she was in had caused her breasts to shift down towards her head and Kakashi could barely see the tops of her nipples appearing above the tube top.

Sakura scowled at him and stopped her struggling, realizing that there was nothing she could do. She wasn't horribly upset because she had had fun and had enjoyed their sparring immensely, but it was still upsetting to lose, particularly in this manner.

"How interesting. Can you please get me down? I feel like I'm going to pass out." Sakura drawled as she quirked an eyebrow up at her former sensei, her arms crossing over her chest in annoyance as she waited for her chuckling sensei to remove the rope from her ankle. He made a sign with his hand and the rope suddenly "poofed!" away and Sakura put her hands down to quickly catch herself before flipping over and landing on her feet.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. You'll have to teach me how to do that sometime." Sakura smirked at him and adjusted her top, finally noticing that she may have been giving Kakashi quite the show while she was upside down.

Kakashi's eye crinkled as he gazed at her. The adrenaline was still pumping through his blood, but this time his focus was not on fighting but on something else. He gazed at her then, in all seriousness, and spoke softly.

"You've grown into quiet the wonderful woman, Sakura. Not just physically, but mentally too. I am proud of you." Sakura blushed at Kakashi's complement. She was never good at receiving them, and something like this from her former sensei was a true treat indeed.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. That means a lot to me, coming from you." Sakura gave him a soft smile as the wind rustled through her hair. The sun was beginning to set and she knew that she had to get home soon for dinner. She clasped her hands behind her back as her eyes brightened.

"Say, Kakashi-sensei, would you like to join me for dinner tonight? We are having a get-together at my house with Sai, Ino, Kiba, and that idiot brother of mine. I guess you could consider it your "prize" for winning our match." She gave him a wry grin. Kakashi cocked his head as he pulled his faithful orange book from his pocket.

"Yes, I suppose I could join you for dinner, as long as you aren't the one cooking, that is." Sakura's grin turned into a scowl and she lightly punched her partner in the arm before giving him a small smile, her eyes soft.

"Daisuke is cooking, so you're safe." Sakura replied as she pulled on her kimono. The two began to walk back towards the village and Sakura's house, a friendly silence between them. Sakura walked beside her taller teacher, and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She would be lying if she said she did not have a crush on her former teacher. The man did not seem to age a day and had the body of a Greek god from what she could tell during her medical examinations of him. She had never figured that anything would come from her schoolkid crush, though. There was no way that someone as popular with the ladies as Kakashi would ever show her interest, and she did not know how he felt about dating a former student. Sakura could care less what people thought, but she did not want to bring up the subject with Kakashi for fear of ruining the already friendly relationship they had with each other. She gave a soft sigh and looked away, her thoughts flying through her head.

Kakashi briefly glanced up from his book as he heard the woman next to him sigh. He had noticed her gazing at him and he could only wonder at what was going through her head. It had been so long since he had last talked with her that he had no idea what was going on her life and what her concerns and hopes and dreams were. Kakashi felt slightly guilty that he did not know much about Sakura now, but he also knew that it was not all his fault and that a lot of it was because Sakura had thrown herself into her work at the hospital for so long. This was one of the reasons as to why he had accepted the dinner invitation and Kakashi hoped that he would be able to catch up with her and bridge that gap in their friendship.

Of course, Kakashi also knew that the other reason he accepted was because he was interested in learning more about Sakura's brother, Daisuke. The proposition that Daisuke had given him was still fresh in Kakashi's mind, and he knew it was starting to affect his thoughts about Sakura. He was hoping that talking to Daisuke again would help him squash those feelings so that he would not put Sakura at risk of his desire.

END OF CHAPTER


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